Air vent and vacuum seal



C. V. DEAN AND C. A. SIMONDS.

AIR VENT AND VACUUM SEAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1. 1920.

1.424356. Patgnted Aug. 8, 1922.

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enemas v. DEAN AND GHAUNG-EY A. srnoivns; or GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

Am VENT AND VACUUM SEAL.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 8, 1922,

Application filed March 1, 1920. Serial No. 362,411.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES V. DEAN and \CIfIAUNCEY A. SIMoNDs, citizensof the United States of America residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of lient and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Vacuum Seals; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact ,deseription of the invention, such as will enable ot ers Skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an air vent and vacuum seal, the primary object and purpose of which is to allow the escape of air from any of the various types oflow pressure steam certain intervals the steam pressur'e'exceeds the atmospheric pressure and at other inter- V vals is below that of atmospheric pressure,

thedevice also being designed to prevent any re-entrance of air into the system.

This construction is applicable in use in venting the air from the steam or return piping in various typesof heating systems such as are installed in 'buildingsparticularly what is known as one and two pipe gravity heating systems or of othersknown as vapor heating or vapor vacuum heating systems. The device is also applicable in many other relations and is not to be consideredas limited in any respect to heating systems alone, being applicable in all cases where a venting of airis desired from an apparatus and the re-entr'ance of air into the apparatus is to be prevented For an understanding of the invention and the construction embodyingthe same, reference may be had to the following description taken in connection with the accent panying drawing, in which-T Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken-through the device, and

Fig. 2 is a plan View of one of -the valve seats forming an element of the device.

Like reference characters refer to llke parts in the different VlQWS'Of the draw ng.

In the construction a lower cylindrical member 1 is provided having a bottom 2 in which a drain opening is made normally closed by a plug 3. This provides a main chamber into which This pipe leads nto a subsidiary chamber arm by a W 5 cast n ral ithb spee fro al 1 dw q xtends do he' be te a the chamb in Air Vents and heatingsystems in which during a cap' 14 an inlet pipe 4 leads and has an opening communicating with the main chamber adjacent the lower portion of said wall 5. The overflow pipe 6 leads from the opposite side of the chamber ata point above the opening made inthe wall 5 as shown;

Above the main chamber'a second chamber outwardly prO e'cting flange 10 at the upper I end of the wall "1 by means of bolts 11, there being a suitable gasket 12 interposed between as shown. In the'bottom'8 ot'the upper chamber member a valve seat 13 is placed, the same being of cylindrical form and threaded through saidebottom 8 as shown.' v

The upper chamber member is closed .by threaded onto the same between which [and the upper edges of'the walls 7 a gasket 15 is placed. A second valve seat 16 is threaded through the capl ibeing positioned directly above the similar but somewhat larger seat 13. Above'ithe cap 14 an inverted cup shaped cover 17 is secured having a plurality of vent openings 18 in the sides thereof. i v a A float 19 is located inthefbottom of the lower chamber member 1 and from said float a rod 20 extends upwardly through suitable guides 13 and 16 placed transversely across the seats 13 and 16. The float normally rests on water such as indicated at 21 and which normally is ata level below the overflow 6 but above the opening made through the lower part of the wall 5. In the upper Chamber. between thetwo valve seats 13 and 16 spherical valve 22 is secured on the rod 20.

The pipe' i 'isconnected with-the return piping ofthe heating system at a point above the waterline otthe boiler. Inpractice any'suitablethermostaticvalve to prevent the passage of steam through the pipe 4 will be i'terposed :in its'length between the air vent construction and the heating system. Pipe 6 leads to and is connected to the return piping below thenormal water line of the boiler. Whenthe steam pressure in the system'rises' above :rior'm'al'atmospheric pressure,'t he air is forced out 0t the'radiators into the return-'piping,- flowing through the pipe 4 and thence downwardly between the walls 1;;and5 through the openings in. the; wall 5 into the main chamber and therefrom through the valve seats 13 and 16 to the upper cap cover 17 and out through the vents 18. This will continue until all of the air is vented or until steam attempts to pass the thermostatic valve which valve allows the passage of cool air but closes and prevents the passage of steam as 1s well understood;yandinasmuch as it forms no part of the present invention, it is not shown and described. 'When the steam pressure falls below atmospheric pressure there is a tendency for the water at 20 to be drawn into the pipe 4 due to the vacuum created and this will lower the float 19and bring valve 22 into engagement with the lower valve seatf13, immediately checkingand stopping any passage of air from the outside into thesystemo. If, as many times occurs, water I passes by the thermostatic valve through the pipee and into the lower chamber, the effect is merely. to raise the float 1 9' until valve 22 seats against the upper valve seat '16,whereupon the water is compelled to return to the system through. the overflow pipe 6 and cannot pass upwardly through the upper chamher and out through the vent openings 18.]

A device of the character describedis parweights of the valve and the float 19. In

. practical operation .when'the 'steam pressure of a system has been reduced to atmospheric pressure and a vacuum is slowly being creatv ,edin the system it has been, foundthat the first stages of the vacuum condition are so slight that. a valve resting on its; seat by its :own weight, unless built very'heavy, will not prevent the leakagejof air and, accordingly, thevacuum is dispelled nearly as rapidly as ,it is created, If onjtheother hand the valve is weighted to overcome this leakage it forms .,-such great resistanoe'to the passage of air ,this construction; however, as soon as' a during the pressure periods that the air does not entirely escape" from the system With vacuum ofeven the, smallest'de'gree is created, a positive. stop against the re-entrance ,of air .is made while as soon as the pressure 1n thesystem rises to and above ,atmospherlc npressurethe weight of the floatis carried by v the water at 20 and the valve ,is'automatt cally openedfor the escapeof air, the only resistance which the airhas to..-0vercome :being merely to forceits'elfthrough the very small'headof water-amounting to notmore than one-quarter or one-half an inch which :is above the opening inthelower portion of the wall 5.

The construction is very practical and efficient and in actualusehas demonstrated its value. The material from which the valve 22 may be made is not of particular consequence though hard rubber or any relatively soft metal works very satisfactorily, 7

We claim 1. A device of the character described,

comprising a lower main chamber member having sides and bottom, an outlet pipe at one side thereof a distance above the bottom, an inlet pipe leading therein-adjacent the upper edges of the member, said member being provided with a passage leading from said inlet pipe to a point a distance below the plane of the outlet pipe, a second and upper chamber member located above the first member and closing the upper end thereof and likewise having sides and bot tom, thebottom thereof forming the closure to the lower member, a valve seat located in the bottom of the upper member,'s'aid valve seat having a passage therethrough connecta second valve seat located said cap and likewise having a passage therethrough, a rod passing downwardly through and guided by said valve seats, a float attached to the" lower end of the rod adapted to be supported by waterin the lower portion of the main member, and a spherical ball valve attached ing the interiors of the two members, acap closing the upper end of the upper member,

to the rod between the two valve seats, sub- 7 stantially as described.

2. A device of the character described, comprising lower and upper chamber members, each comprising sides and'a bottom with the bottom of the uppermember closing the upper end of the lower member, an

, outlet to the lowerimember a] distance above the bottom thereof, saidlower member being adapted to; carry water therein below the and enter the same below the level of the water, a capclosing the upper end of the upper chamber member, valvefseat members inserted-through "the "cap and the bottom of the upper member, a float in the lower memher, a rod extending upwardly therefrom through said bottom of the upper member and said cap, and a valve construction-on the rod between the valve seat members I adapted to seat against either valve seat with the rise and fall of the water in the lower member, substantially as described.

Ina device of the characterdescribed,

a construction including upper and lower chambersseparated by a partition between them, said lower chamber being adapted to level of the outlet, an inlet to. the lower memb er adapted to carry water and air therein containwater in the lower part thereof, an

outlet to the lower chamber above thelevel of the water, an inlet to the lower chamber adapted to carry waterand air therein and deliver the same into the water in the lower chamber below the upper surface thereof, a valve seat member threaded through said partition, a cap closing the upper chamber, a similar valve seat member threaded therethrough, a float in the lower chamber, a rod extending upwardly therefrom through both chambers, and valve means on the rod within the upper chamber falling and rising therewith with the fall and rise of the float and adapted to seat against the valve seats, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the character described, a construction including upper and lower chambers separated by a horizontal partition, an inlet to the lower chamber at its lower portion, an outlet thereto above the inlet, a float in the lower chamber, a valve in the upper chamber, oppositely positioned valve seats in the under side of the top of the upper chamber and upper side of said horizontal partition, one above and the other below the valve, and a rod connecting the float and valve, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

CHARLES V. DEAN. CI-IAUNGEY A. SIMONDS 

